Known PTZ cameras and other video capture devices use a complex communication protocol to facilitate the pan, tilt, and zoom functions of the camera. This can be inefficient. Indeed, when a joystick, keyboard or other input device is used to control the pan, tilt, and zoom functions of the camera, the camera often does not pan, tilt, and/or zoom in a smooth manner and does not respond to the input control in as timely of a manner as is desired. Accordingly, it is difficult to track an object using the pan, tilt, and zoom functions of the camera, causing many users to be dissatisfied with the performance of the camera.
For example, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a PTZ camera system 100 known in the art. As seen in FIG. 1, input 105 that includes a p/t/z request can be received via a user input device 110, such as a head-end keyboard, joystick, or the like, of an IP PTZ camera 160 at a network packet port 115 and transmitted to a request module 120. The request module 120 can include a webpage request sub-module 121, an http video stream request sub-module 122, and a control protocol request sub-module 123.
The request module 120 can transmit the input 105, including the p/t/z/ request, to an http parser 125. For example, the parser 125 in some known systems includes a parser that employs the Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF) protocol.
The parser 125 can transmit the input 105 to a processor module 130, and, as seen in FIG. 1, the processor module 130 can include a webpage processor 131, a video streaming processor 132, and a control protocol processor 133. The control protocol processor 133 can process the received input 105, including the p/t/z request, and transmit the processed input 105 to a syntax analyzer 135.
The syntax analyzer 135 can extract a p/t/z command 140, that is, a pan, tilt, and zoom command, from the processed input 105 and transmit the p/t/z command 140 to a motor driver unit 145, which can then transmit the command 140 to a motor 150 of the PTZ camera 160 for producing a response 155 from the PTZ camera 160. Accordingly, as seen in FIG. 1, in known systems, the p/t/z command 140 is not extracted from the input 105 until after the input 105 passes through the http processor 125 and the processor module 130. This contributes to a delayed and latent response 155 from the PTZ motor 150 and camera 160 after the input 105 is received.
In view of the above, there is a continuing, ongoing need for an improved apparatus and method to reduce PTZ latency.